By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, July 30 (Yonhap) -- The nominee to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) on Thursday cited North Korean defectors in underscoring the power of free information in closed societies, vowing to spearhead "truth-telling" efforts if confirmed.

Sarah Rogers, currently under secretary of state for public diplomacy, made the remarks during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as she pointed out her engagement with North Korean defectors during a visit to South Korea in April.

"In Seoul, North Korean defectors told me that snippets of American radio were the first hints they heard of another kind of life," she said.

"These defectors risked torture and risked death, fleeing toward a freedom they only heard existed here. They heard it from us. That is a great honor, and it's also evidence that Voice of America (VOA) and our grantees ... can be indispensable instruments of American foreign policy," she added.

If confirmed, Rogers would lead USAGM, a U.S. government agency that oversees VOA and other government broadcasters, as well as provides funding for Radio Free Asia and other outlets.

In her current capacity as under secretary of state, Rogers leads a workforce of more than 5,000 employees with a US$1 billion budget that she said is aimed at advancing American foreign policy and countering propaganda from North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and Cuba.

She has said in a social media post that if confirmed, she would hold the two roles concurrently.

During the hearing, the nominee stressed that "truth-telling" is what USAGM is for.

"If confirmed, that's the effort I'll lead. Over the past year, I've traveled more than 70,000 miles and seen firsthand the power of free information in closed societies," she said, pointing to her earlier trip to Seoul where she met a group of North Korean defectors.

Stressing the importance of truth telling, she said that "free people tend to choose America, and the truth sets people free."

"That's why delivering truthful information behind the Iron Curtain helped defeat Soviet communism," she said. "In Today's information war, truth remains America's best tool."

sshluck@yna.co.kr

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